Cordage



Patented Aug. 3, 1926.-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS T. GRAY, 01E ELIZABETH, AND WALTER Ii. FAUST, OF SUMMIT, NEW FEB- SEY, AND MALVIN R. MANDELBAUM, 0E BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TO WHITLOCK CORDAGE COMPANY, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

OORDAGE.

No Drawing. Original application filed August 20, 1925, Serial No. 51,506. Divided and this application 1 filed January 26, 1926. Serial No. 88,951.

provide cordage in which the fibers are impregnated with a water-resisting and lubricating compoundp A further object is to provide cordage which is practically water-proof, so that despite repeated exposure to dampness or wetting, water Will not be permitted to enter the cells of the rope fiber and the rope will accordinglyremain strong, flexible and easy to handle.

A further object-of our invention is to provide cOrdage which is permanently lubricated despite exposure to moisture.

The stiffness and difficulty of handling wet rope have heretofore presented great disadvantages and danger in use. When ordinary lubricated rope is exposed to dampness the moisture penetrates into and dlstends the cells of which the fiber isfiormed, thereby swelling and shortening and tending to kink the rope and making it stifl? and unmanageable and at the same time diminishing the natural water-resistant quality of the fiber and driving out a part of the natural and artificial lubricant as well. As the natural waxes and artificial lubricants are driven out the fibers become brittle and tend to disintegrate so that the life of the rope as well as its strength and serviceability are substantially diminished by such exposure. By our invention we provide a rope the fibers of which are impregnated with a compound which is so water-repellant as to make the rope substantially waterproof and we thereby keep'moisture out of the fiber cells and retain the natural and artificial lubricants in the fiber and overcome the difficulties heretofore met and properior to any now known.

Other advantages of our invention will be apparent from the following description and claims.

Broadly our invention consists of rope structure made up of cellular fibers the cells of which'are impregnated with a stable semisolid compound containing water-resisting waxes, the said compound being of such character as to be capable of passing as a Whole through the walls of the fiber cells and constituting an elficient lubricant for the cordage. The manner of mixing and applying an appropriate impregnating compound to the cordage fiber is described in our original application Serial. Number 51,506 referred to. i

The impregnating compound, being of the character stated, penetrates to the interior waxes that have been driven out in the course of preparing and shipping the fiber to the cordage plant and supplementing such natural waxes as remain in the fiber in completely filling the cells'with stable, waterresisting, lubricating material. The fiber as a whole is given a stability and smoothness, a resistance to wear and to Water that results in a rope that is substantially waterproof and permanently lubricated.

A preferred form of our invention comprises a rope structure the fiber cells of which are impregnated and coated with 'a compound containing waterproofing waxes ingredients are then thoroug 1y stirred together and may be applied to the cordage at oncein the ordinary manner in which cord age 911 is applied, namely, by sprinkling the same on the fiber at the breakers. If

it is not desired for immediate use it may be poured into suitable containers and allowed to cool. At normal temperatures it is a semi-solid or solid and may be stored in containers. To prepare it for use b it should be gently warmed until it has melted and the mixture has come to a temperature in the neighborhood of 150 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. 1 Our improved cordage is made up in the usual manner of manufacturing cordage. from the fibers impregnated in the manner described.

The vehicle emplo ed in the compound must be a solvent or the waterproofing waxes and non-volatile at ordinary temperature and pressure. It should have the viscosity of lubricating oil, preferably light lubricating oil and may consist of mineral oil such as cylinder oil, red oil, spindle oil, parafiin oil, neutral oil, petrolatum or the like or vegetable or animal oils having similar physical characteristics. It preferably does not exceed 60% of the impregnating com-- pound by'volume but in any event should be suflicient to give plasticity to the particularwax or waxes employed.

, The waterproofing waxes'are preferably of two sorts, a mineral wax and a nonmineral wax.

Any mineral wax may be employed -such as ceresine, ozokerite, Montan wax, lignite, wax, parafiin, shale wax, or the like. Its function is to penetrate the cells of the fiber and lubricate them and make them substantially waterproof. It preferably constitutes about-30% of the volume of the compound.

-The non-mineral wax maybe beeswax, carnauba wax, palmwax," wool' wax. insect or China wax, Ja an wax, spermaceti, stearin, or similar su stances or esters having similar physical properties. It has'the function of a binder to make the compound more adhesive and more water repellant so that it is retained in more intimate contact-Y with the fibers of the rope and resists abrasion. It preferably constitutes about 10%. of the compound by volume. 1 F

In addition a small 'quantity of essential oil may be employed for the purpose of giving a pleasant odor to the compound and to the rope with which it is treated. Examples. of such oils are mirbane, anise-rosema citronella, Sassafras, Wintergreen. lemon oil, etc. The lemon oil has the additional advantages of bleachingv the fiber somewhat to give it a more desirable color.

We are aware that petroleum oil has lon been used as a lubricant for cordage and that it is commonly mixed withwool grease which has the capacity of penetrating the fiber and making it softer and smoother, but

wool grease is unstable and the combination of the same with petroleum oils is emulsifiable in water, time washed out by the water whereby the lubricant'is driven off and the rope left sub' ject to rapid deterioration. Furthermore the emulsion operates to releasedilute fatty acids which are'likely to attack the fiber and produce further emulsification of any remaining lubricant. Such rope, furthermore, becomes discolored with ageso that it cannot'besold as new rope after storage.

We are also aware that waterproofing compounds have heretofore been suggested containingwaterproofing waxes and a vehicle.- But so far as we are aware no waterproofing compound for' cordage has been suggested prior toour invention wherein the vehicle was of such character as to permit any appreciable quantityof the waxes to penetrate the cell walls into the interior of the fiber cells. For when water or volatile hydrocarbons,

such as naphtha, gasoline, benzine or the like.

the emulsion being in a short are used as vehicles-th'cell walls act as filters to permit entrance only of the vehicle and to excludethe waxes from the interior of the cells so that they form a'solid and relatively inflexible film or deposit outside of the cells and are thus liable to wear and rub off through use. Furthermore such hydrocarbon vehicles tend to dissolve out the natural waxes contained in .the cells and so leave the cells with less interior protection. Such structures are doubly liable to attack by water or dampness for the wearing off of the wax film removes the waterproofing.

agent and the evaporation of thevehicle withinthe fiber cells leaves room for waterto enter and takeits place. Cordage. so

treated is neither permanently water-resist,-

ing nor permanently lubricated.

By our invention of an impregnating compound which is capable .of penetrating the cell walls so as to fill the cells with a homogeneous v water-resisting compound we are able toprovide .a ropewhich is practically waterproof, which retains its flexibility, lightness and 'ease of handling even after long immersion in water, and which-is per-' manently lubricated. In cordage treated according to our invention, the'compound in the fiber cells-prevents water from entering the cells, and the cell walls in turn prevent the compound from wearing or rubbing-ofi in use. The compound. being semi-solid at ordinary temperature remains ermanently plastic and flexible and so 'con orms to the changes, in shape of the fiber cells in use. It results that the life of the rope and its maximum utility and strength are very materially prolonged. The compound has no harmful effect upon the fiber and prevents discoloration with age. It is stable for the a life of the rope structure and adds to the resistance against the-action of acids on the ro e. By our invention we have made rope having two to five times the durability in marine use of the best lubricated rope heretofore .known besides important advantages,

such as continued softness, lightness and hereinas.stable we mean that it is such character as to remain a homogeneous solution substantially unchanged by exposure to the elements at normal temperatures and during ordinar use of the cordage'that it impregnates. y plastic we mean that the compound is a non-brittle substance whlch at normal temperatures is semi-solid and freely conforms to changes in shape of the surfaces with which it may be in contact. ()ur impregnating compound is both stable and plastic and, as applied to cordage, it has the capacity of passing in and out of the fiber cells so as to act both as an internal and an external lubricant of the fiber.

It will, of course, be understood that the foregoing description of our invention is illustrative only and that the invention is not intended to be limited except as defined in the appended claims.

What'we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. Cordage fiber the cells of which contain a stable and plastic composition consisting essentially of a waterproofing wax and. a non-volatile plasticizing agent for the wax.

2. Water resisting cordage comprising fibers impregnated with a stable plastic fiber-penetrating composition 'consistin essentially of mineral wax and a non-v0 atile oil in quantity sufiicient to plasticize the wax. i

3. Cordage comprising fibers impregnated i with a stable-andgalastic composition consisting essentially o mineral wax, a non-min.- eral wax-like substance and a non:volatile solvent in quantity sufliclent to plasticize the same.

4. Permanently lubricated cordage comprising fibers the cells of which contain a plastic and stable solution of waterproofing waxes in non-volatile mineral oil, the quantity of oil exceeding that of the waxes, said solution impregnating said fiber cells and preventing the admission of water thereto and being rotected from wearing oil in use by the wal s of said cells.

. 5. Water resisting cellular material the cells of which contain a stable, plastic solution of mineral wax and non-mineral wax in a non-volatile vehicle, the volume of waxes being less than that of the vehicle and the vehicle bein of viscosity sufiicient to'convey the waxes t rough the cell walls into the interior thereof.

6. Water resisting material composed of cellular fibers, the cells of the fibers containing a stable and plastic solution of a waterproofing wax in a non-volatile vehicle, the said solution containing an oil-soluble waxlike binder to cause the solution to adhere within the fiber cells, the quantity of the vehicle being suflicient to make the said solution plastic.

v 7. Water resistant cellular material the cells of which contain a" stable and plastic composition of parafline wax, an oil-soluble wax-like binder and a non-volatile oil, the

quantity of oil being sufiicient to render the composition plastic and capable of penetratmg the said cells.

8. Water resistant cellular material the,

parts of an oil-soluble wax-like binder and approximately parts of non-volatile oil.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification.

THOMAS T. GRAY.

WALTER L. FAUST. MALVIN R. MANDELBAUM. 

